Bill Warden Obituary, Death – Mar. 31, 2023 – The sports department at North Central College would like to express its condolences to the family of Bill Warden ’55, who died away on March 25 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Bill is the all-time best scorer in the history of the men’s basketball program at the University of Cardinal, and he also guided the team to extraordinary success during his tenure there. Bill played for the Cardinals from 1951 through 1955 and still maintains numerous of the team’s all-time marks, including the career records for points scored (2,249), points per game (28.5), and field goals made.

William played for the Cardinals (847). After completing his junior year, the Helms Foundation honored Bill by naming him to the First Team of the NAIA All-American Team. This accomplishment made him the first All-American in the sport for the Cardinals. After passing up a chance to play professionally for the Minneapolis Lakers, Bill began a successful career as a high school coach, during which he led Morgan Park High School to victory in the IHSA Class 2A State Championship for boys’ basketball in 1976.

His career was highlighted by this achievement. Bill took over as head coach of the North Central Cardinals in 1981, setting a new school record with 204 victories over the course of 16 seasons. During that time, the Cardinals won the Collegiate Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) title in 1985, 1989, and 1990. At the Cardinals’ game on November 30 against Carroll University this season, Bill was honored during the halftime break. You may see the ceremony by clicking HERE, and you can view Bill’s Hall of Fame profile by clicking HERE.